Nuns have often been portrayed as nascent feminists wielding an exceptional amount of power. In this formative study of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame - a religious community of uncloistered women established in Montreal in 1657 - Colleen Gray presents a more nuanced view of the foundations and exercise of power within the convent.

Gray focuses on the social, administrative, political, and spiritual dimensions of the lives of three Congrégation superiors - Marie Barbier, Marie-Josèphe Maugue-Garreau, and Marie Raizenne. By exploring the implications of the hierarchies of power within the convent and providing a thorough analysis of the convent's relationship with the social, religious, and governmental structures that surrounded it - taking into account both medieval and Catholic Reformation Europe and seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Canada - Gray reveals the paradoxes inherent in the position of a female superior within the male-dominated sphere of both the church and the larger secular community.

This student-friendly introduction combines both thematic and chronological approaches in exploring the pivotal role religion played in American history - and of its impact across a range of issues, from identity formation and politics, to race, gender, and class. A comprehensive introduction to American religious history that successfully combines thematic and chronological approaches, aiding both teaching and learning Brings together a stellar cast of experts to trace the development of theology, the political order, practice, and race, ethnicity, gender and class throughout America's history Accessibly structured in to four key eras: Exploration and Encounter (1492-1676); The Atlantic World (1676-1802); American Empire (1803-1898); and Global Reach (1898-present). Investigates the role of religion in forming people's identities, emotional experiences, social conflict, politics, and patriotism

This book situates teacher training, preparation and education in Canada within national and global histories. The authors lead the reader through an exploration of the objectives of schooling, the contextual role of teachers, and the political undercurrents sustaining various educational conceptions and policies.

Gray focuses on the social, administrative, political, and spiritual dimensions of the lives of three Congrégation superiors - Marie Barbier, Marie-Josèphe Maugue-Garreau, and Marie Raizenne. By exploring the implications of the hierarchies of power within the convent and providing a thorough analysis of the convent's relationship with the social, religious, and governmental structures that surrounded it - taking into account both medieval and Catholic Reformation Europe and seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Canada - Gray reveals the paradoxes inherent in the position of a female superior within the male-dominated sphere of both the church and the larger secular community.